Department for Communities and Local Government

Local Government Finance

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria were used in allocating the transition grant to local authorities, in the light of the NAO report, Transition grant and rural services delivery grant, published in February, which found that the level of need or demand for local services was not considered when the Department for Communities and Local Government designed the grant.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: My department has published an explanatory note (attached) on the method of allocation of the Transition Grant for 2016/17. A copy has been placed in the library of both Houses.



Transition Grant 2016 /17
(PDF Document, 160.62 KB)

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

ARM: Softbank

lord myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they were consulted by SoftBank before that company's sale of an interest in ARM Holdings; and what assessment they have made of the extent to which that disposal is consistent with the commitments which were secured by the Government from SoftBank at the time they endorsed its investment.

lord prior of brampton: The Takeover Panel is responsible for the enforcement of post-offer undertakings.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Gender: Equality

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the budget for the new Foreign and Commonwealth Office Special Envoy for Gender Equality.

baroness anelay of st johns: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office Special Envoy for Gender Equality will begin her work on 1 April 2017. A budget of £250,000 has been provisionally agreed for the 2017/18 financial year, to cover salary, travel and other costs connected to delivering results.

Turkey: Politics and Government

baroness royall of blaisdon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made representations to the government of Turkey following the comments from President Erdogan that those who vote no in the April referendum will be siding with supporters of terrorists.

baroness anelay of st johns: We regularly raise the importance of the rule of law and fundamental rights with Turkish counterparts. We urge Turkey to hold a free and fair referendum, held in line with international norms, including respect for freedom of expression.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Malnutrition

lord pendry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of their manifesto pledge to improve the nutrition of 50 million people by 2020, what steps they are taking to tackle malnutrition globally.

lord bates: DFID is continuing to scale-up support for both direct nutrition services and programmes to address the underlying causes of malnutrition so that we deliver the commitment by 2020. Current forecasts show we are on track to meet this target as well as to meet commitments made at the Nutrition for Growth Summit, 2013.

Famine

baroness kinnock of holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the statement made by the UN Secretary-General concerning the famines in South Sudan, Nigeria, Somalia and Yemen, and to his warning that hunger and famine threaten the lives of people in those countries.

lord bates: We are deeply concerned by the UN Secretary General’s statement warning that there is a credible risk of four famines in 2017: South Sudan (where famine has already been declared), Nigeria, Yemen and Somalia. The UK was the first major donor to raise the alarm bell and respond. We have issued an urgent call to action to the international community to step up their response; provided lifesaving treatment for acute malnutrition, food, water and emergency healthcare; and are working closely with other donors and partners to ensure a more efficient and effective response to the crises.

Ministry of Justice

Peter Chester

lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why Peter Chester, prisoner A9675AA, who is detained in HM Prison Full Sutton, is still waiting for the oral hearing for his parole review which was due in December 2016; and why an urgent dental appointment for him was delayed by two months.

lord keen of elie: Mr Chester has an ongoing parole review. The listing of oral hearings is a matter for the independent Parole Board and the Secretary of State has no powers to intervene. The delay to Mr Chester’s urgent dental appointment was the result of an administrative error and an appointment has since been scheduled.

Ministry of Defence

Gibraltar Defence Police

baroness harris of richmond: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they expect a Memorandum of Understanding regarding the transfer of Gibraltar Defence Police services from the Ministry of Defence to the government of Gibraltar to be completed by the end of March; and whether they expect the transfer of Gibraltar Defence Police services from the Ministry of Defence to the government of Gibraltar to be completed by the end of December.

earl howe: We agreed with Her Majesty's Government of Gibraltar in 2015 that we will work with them to consider options for the future of the Gibraltar Defence Police. That remains the case.

Home Office

Cheques: Fraud

baroness byford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the number of cases and value of frauds involving cheque books in the UK, in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office does not hold the information requested. The Home Office collects data from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) on the number of recorded fraud offences in England and Wales. This includes data on cheque, plastic card and online bank account fraud. From these data, it is not possible to separate out cheque fraud, as all cheque, plastic card and online bank account offences are classed on one category (NFIB5A) under the Home Office Counting Rules.These data, which are published by the ONS, are available on their website at https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice#datasets (see ‘Crime in England and Wales: Appendix tables’ – Table A5).Additionally, Financial Fraud Action UK (FFA UK) collate data from their members via a system known as CAMIS. However, they only refer crimes to the NFIB in cases where there is actionable intelligence to share with the police to aid fraud investigation. These are the statistics presented in Table A5 (referred to above). The wider CAMIS data, which separates cheque fraud from other fraud, are also published by the ONS, are available on their website at https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice#datasets (see ‘Crime in England and Wales: Bulletin tables’ – Table F20). 



Crime in England and Wales - Table A5 
(Excel SpreadSheet, 89.33 KB)




Crime in England and Wales - Bulletin Tables F20
(Excel SpreadSheet, 77.55 KB)

Internet: Fraud

baroness byford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the number of cases and value of frauds perpetrated using the internet and reported to UK police, in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office does not hold the information requested. The Home Office collects data from the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) on the number of recorded fraud offences in England and Wales.These data, which are published by the ONS, are available on their website at https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice#datasets (see ‘Crime in England and Wales: Appendix tables’ – Table A5).

Fraud

baroness byford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the number of cases and value of frauds reported by the National Crime Survey, in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

baroness williams of trafford: The ONS publishes experimental data from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) on fraud and cyber crime incidents experienced by individuals. As part of this suite of statistics, they publish data on the financial loss suffered by victims of fraud. These questions on fraud and computer misuse were incorporated into the CSEW from October 2015, so data are only available for one year.These data can be found on the ONS website at https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice#datasets (see ‘Crime in England and Wales: Experimental tables’ – see Table E2.)

Firearms: Crime

lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each police force area in the United Kingdom, how many people were (1) arrested, (2) charged, (3) cautioned, and (4) convicted, for failing adequately to secure their firearms in (a) 2015, and (b) 2016.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office does not hold the information requested centrally.The Home Office collects data on the number of arrests by each police force in England and Wales at offence group level (e.g. violence against the person, possession of weapons offences). However, the data cannot be broken down to identify the specific offence under which each arrest was made.Data on charges are the responsibility of the Crown Prosecution Service.Data on cautions and convictions are the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice. They have informed us they do not hold the information requested centrally.

Immigration Controls

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) children, or (2) members of their family, (a) have been removed from education, (b) have been removed from the country, (c) are in detention, or (d) have been otherwise contacted by immigration officers, as a result of the transfer of data from the National Pupil Database to the Removals Casework Team since 2015 under the memorandum of understanding on data sharing between the Home Office and the Department for Education; and, with regard to such removals, detentions and contacts, who is accountable for the duty to promote the welfare of children under section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009.

baroness williams of trafford: The Home Office does not hold the data requested.Where the Home Office makes decisions on and acts on decisions to remove people from the UK, it has a clear duty under Section 55 of the Borders, Citizenship and Immigration Act 2009.

Asylum: Afghanistan

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which the latest Home Office guidance on LGBT asylum seekers from Afghanistan, which states that it may be a safe and viable option for a gay man to relocate to Kabul, whilst also identifying multiple risks to LGBT Afghans from their own families, from Afghan laws, and from Taliban insurgents, conforms to UNHCR guidelines on refugees, which specify that LGBT people should not be required to change or conceal their identity to avoid persecution.

baroness williams of trafford: Our guidance fully complies with the Supreme Court judgement in HJ (Iran) which held that a person should not be required to ‘modify their beliefs’ or ‘act discretely’ in order to avoid persecution; if, on the other hand, they choose to do so for other – for example, private – reasons, then they may not be a refugee. Paragraphs 2.3.1, 2.3.2 and 2.57 of the Home Office’s Country Policy and Information Note ‘Afghanistan: sexual orientation and gender identity’ (published in January 2017) explicitly sets this out.Our guidance also complies with the Upper Tribunal's decision in the country guidance case of AJ (Risk of Homosexuals) Afghanistan CG [2009] UKAIT 00001The position has not significantly changed for LGBT people in Afghanistan since 2009, therefore the Upper Tribunal’s conclusion that internal relocation may be possible, depending on individual circumstances, remains valid and the Home Office guidance provides the context against which that assessment must be made in individual cases.

Police National Database

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which organisations have access to facial images on the Police National Database.

baroness williams of trafford: The following organisations have access to the Police National Database: The 43 territorial police forces in England and WalesPolice ScotlandThe Police Service of Northern IrelandThe British Transport PoliceThe National Crime AgencyThe Home Office (in connection with their work on Immigration Enforcement)The Ministry of Defence PoliceThe Service Police Crime BureauThe States of Jersey PoliceThe Disclosure and Barring Service (in connection with their work issuing criminal conviction certificates and making barring decisions)The PND team at the Home Office

Police National Database

lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many authorised people are licensed to access the Police National Database, broken down by organisation.

baroness williams of trafford: Use of the Police National Database is limited to trained officers and staff who have specific roles, for example in Force Intelligence Bureaux. All law enforcement authorities which use PND are required to comply with the Data Protection Act 1998 and have regard to the Code of Practice for the Operation and Use of the Police National Database’ issued pursuant to the Secretary of State’s powers under section 39A of the Police Act 1996.The statistics set out in the attached Annex below have been taken from a live operational database and they have not been audited to the level associated with ONS data. As such, numbers may change as information on that system is updated.Annex Management information on the number of people authorised to use PND in January 2017. OrganisationTotalAvon and Somerset Constabulary183Bedfordshire Police100British Transport Police111Cheshire Constabulary116City of London Police43Cleveland Police123Cumbria Constabulary87Disclosure and Barring Service6Derbyshire Constabulary153Devon and Cornwall Police243Dorset Police120Durham Constabulary129Dyfed Powys Police75Essex Police243Gloucestershire Constabulary151Greater Manchester Police417Gwent Police105Hampshire Constabulary260Hertfordshire Constabulary136Home Office (PND Team)7Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs18Humberside Police133Home Office (Immigration Enforcement)16States of Jersey Police9Kent Police245Lancashire Constabulary132Leicestershire Police191Lincolnshire Police108Merseyside Police279Metropolitan Police Service1,100Ministry of Defence Police24National Crime Agency417Norfolk Constabulary112North Wales Police105North Yorkshire Police126Northamptonshire Police101Northumbria Police189Nottinghamshire Police130Police Scotland366Police Service of Northern Ireland134South Wales Police151South Yorkshire Police146Service Police Crime Bureau15Staffordshire Police203Suffolk Constabulary105Surrey Police163Sussex Police78Thames Valley Police350Warwickshire Police65West Mercia Police139West Midlands Police687West Yorkshire Police363Wiltshire Police115Total9,407

HM Treasury

Cybercrime

baroness byford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to investigate, restrict or prohibit practices requiring private individuals to use financial systems or devices which render them vulnerable to acts of cyber fraud in order to access goods and services offered by companies or public authorities.

baroness neville-rolfe: The Government takes the protection of consumers very seriously and is committed to improving access to financial services that can be used safely and securely. HM Treasury works closely with the Bank of England, the Prudential Regulation Authority, and the Financial Conduct Authority to improve the resilience of the finance sector to operational risks including cyber threats. We are supported by wider government, including the National Cyber Security Centre and the National Crime Agency. In addition, the Government’s Joint Fraud Taskforce aims to use the collective powers, systems and resources of banks, payment providers, police, wider law enforcement and regulators to tackle fraud, and raise awareness of the risk of fraud among consumers.

Money Laundering

lord wills: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many prosecutions of Trust and Company Service Providers have been initiated by HM Revenue and Customs since 1 January 2014.

baroness neville-rolfe: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) does not act as a prosecuting authority. All prosecutions are authorised by the relevant independent prosecuting authority and, in making their decision, they consider two tests; whether there is enough evidence to prove the case, and whether it is in the public interest to bring the case to court.For England and Wales this is the Crown Prosecution Service; for Scotland, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service; and for Northern Ireland, the Public Prosecution Service for NI.No Trust and Company Service Providers (TCSPs), whether supervised by HMRC or another professional body under the Money Laundering Regulations 2007, were prosecuted in the period from April 2015 - March 2017. Before this date, HMRC did not collate statistics specifically on investigations or prosecutions involving TCSPs.However, in the period from April 2015, HMRC has commenced a number of criminal investigations that involve TCSPs, which are at various stages in the criminal investigation process.These include investigations involving various offences and are not restricted to Proceeds of Crime Act money laundering offences or breaches of the Money Laundering Regulations 2007.

Money Laundering

lord wills: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what policy is adopted by HM Revenue and Customs in deciding whether to publish details of enforcement actions taken against regulated sectors under the Money Laundering Regulations 2007.

baroness neville-rolfe: Supervision under the Money Laundering Regulations is a function of HMRC. In making decisions on publication of information about this function, HMRC considers transparency, consistency and confidentiality in determining how best to meet legal requirements. Legislation that informs these decisions includes the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act, the Data Protection Act, Freedom of Information Act and the Money Laundering Regulations. As explained in my answer of 20th February, “HMRC does not publish enforcement information broken down by sector as this could prejudice the prevention and detection of crime.”  Information relating to coverage and the likely penalties for non-compliance could be used by criminals to aid them in choosing approaches to attempt to launder money or finance terrorism.

Northern Ireland Office

Borders: Northern Ireland

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures have been put in place to ensure peace and maintenance of an open border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

lord dunlop: The Government remain fully committed to the Belfast Agreement and its successors. We will continue to work with the Northern Ireland Executive and Irish Government for a prosperous and peaceful Northern Ireland in the time ahead, with a shared commitment to wanting to avoid a return to the borders of the past and to finding a practical solution to facilitate the continued free movement of people and goods that recognises the unique economic, political and social context of the land border.

Department for International Trade

Economic Partnership Agreements

baroness kinnock of holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the EU and regions in the African, Caribbean and Pacific States (ACP) group of countries, and (2) the negotiation of similar arrangements with remaining regions of the ACP group.

lord price: The UK is a long-standing supporter of the EU’s Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). EPAs aim to promote increased trade and investment by putting our trading relationship on a more equitable, mature and business-like footing, in order to support sustainable growth and poverty reduction. As the UK leaves the EU, we have an opportunity to position the UK as the world-leader on trade and development policy. We are in a stronger position than ever to develop trade relationships that maximise benefits for developing countries and for the UK.

Overseas Trade: ACP Countries

baroness kinnock of holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that future imports into the UK from African, Caribbean and Pacific States (ACP) group countries are not placed at risk by the cessation of any Economic Partnership Agreements preferences, and to ensure that UK exporters of goods and services to ACP markets are not disadvantaged in relation to EU countries.

lord price: The UK enjoys strong trading relationships with many developing countries, including the African, Caribbean, and Pacific Group of Sates. As we leave the EU, we recognise the need for a smooth transition which minimises disruption to our trading relationships, both for operators in developing countries and the UK. Indeed, I and my ministerial colleagues are taking all opportunities to meet our counterpart trade ministers from the ACP group. We remain committed to ensuring that developing countries can reduce poverty through trading opportunities, so that they can become our trading partners of the future.

Department of Health

Learning Disability

lord condon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made since February 2016 to protect and promote the rights of people with learning difficulties, in the light of the report by Sir Stephen Bubb Time for Change: The Challenge Ahead.

lord o'shaughnessy: The Transforming Care programme is making progress in moving people out of inpatient settings. Local Transforming Care Partnerships reduced the overall number of people with learning disabilities and/or autism in mental health hospitals by 11% from October 2015 to December 2016, according to published data. This is line with the 35-50% reduction we committed to achieving by 2019 in Building the Right Support. NHS England is supporting areas to put in place new preventative services, such as intensive community support teams, to support people at points of crisis so that they do not need to be admitted to hospital. NHS England is investing £10 million per year, matched by clinical commissioning groups, to support the growth in services such as these. NHS England is also rolling out pre-admission care and treatment reviews to assess whether there are viable alternative options when making a decision to admit an individual. NHS England is making available £20 million in capital per year to support an expansion in community based support for people with a learning disability. The Department is commissioning a full and independent evaluation of the Transforming Care programme, which will focus on measuring changes in quality of life and of care over time, to assess the impact of the programme on the lived experience of people with learning disabilities.

Antibiotics

the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure the development of new antibiotics, in the light of the publication by the World Health Organisation of the Global priority list of antibiotic-resistant bacteria on 27 February.

lord o'shaughnessy: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global problem that needs a global solution. This Government’s international leadership helped secure a commitment from the G20 to look at solutions for the development of new antimicrobials. We will continue to drive implementation of this commitment. Furthermore, the Government continues to invest in global research efforts to tackle AMR, including the development of effective new drugs. In the last two years, the United Kingdom has invested £369 million in international AMR surveillance and research programmes. This is composed of £265 million for the Fleming Fund, £50 million for a Global AMR Innovation Fund, £4 million for a UK AMR Centre and £50 million in Research Council investments.